18 January 2013

According to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy the ‘Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything’ is 42 but for me it's another chance to put on my trusty Hawaiian shirt and lei for my birthday party. Last year I was pretty impressed with the function space at The Coach and Horses Hotel so I decided to have it there again. Free hire, air conditioned, private access to the bar and a platter menu that was pretty good were the main draw cards. I was lucky to have 61 adults and 12 kids share the special day with me. I ordered platters of Vietnamese vegetable rice paper rolls, Vegetable spring rolls, Steamed prawn & pork dumplings, Moroccan lamb skewers and Tempura prawns plus bowls of Potato wedges. I was pretty happy with all the food. Vietnamese rolls were a good size filled with fresh ingredients as a healthy option. I'm always a fan of the deep fried spring rolls in any size or form. Steamed pork & pork dumplings were a decent size although were a little awkward to eat with the toothpicks being so big. The Moroccan lamb skewers were tender and tasty and the Tempura prawns were nice and plump with a crisp batter making them a favourite for me. I kept myself fueled with Gin & Tonic and Long Island Iced Tea kindly bought for me from friends — thank you. $679.10 was spent by guests at the bar and my birthday cake was Salted Caramel (50 pieces) and Rosewater (35 pieces) macarons from La Renaissance which I arranged in the number 42. They were extremely popular and were bought for $1 each — thanks Christophe from Bistro Baroque for the very special pricing. I'm a big fan of making cakes that don't have to be cut and can be shared quickly and easily without cutlery and plates. I received many generous gifts which I look forward to using, eating and drinking which included a $100 Best Restaurants of Australia gift card. I'm thinking Movida Sydney might be a good one to try? Thanks again to all those who took the time to come along to make my birthday a very special day to remember and I look forward to catching up again soon.Other birthdays for Simon:• 12 Jan 2013 - Simon's 42nd Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel• 15 Jan 2012 - Simon's 41st Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel• 8 Jan 2011 - Simon's 40th Birthday - Centennial Hotel• 10 Jan 2010 - Simon's 39th Birthday BBQ• 4 Jan 2009 - Simon's 38th Birthday BBQ

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Good private space for a party with own access to bar service, Free function space hire, Nice platters of food, Helpful staff

CONS: Costs more to have your party at a venue but it's far less stressful, The more people you have the harder it is to get the food shared around the room

MUST TRY: Planning a trip to Hawaii for my 50th birthday to make it extra special

VERDICT: Much more relaxing having a party at a venue so you get to enjoy your own event and there's no cleaning up after

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Simon Leong

Passionate Sydney food blogger in search of the best dishes around the world and writing reviews to whet your appetite. Feel free to email me your recommendations of where to eat simonleong[at]hotmail[dot]com